Slicing-machine for slicing meat or the like



Dec. 17,,1929J c. F. M; VAN. BERKEL SLICING MACHINE FOR SLICING MEAT ORTHE LIKE Filed Aug. 12, 1926 Patented Dec. 17, 19 29 unrrsn STATESPATENT OFFICE GORNELIS FRANCISCUS MARIA VAN BERKEL, OF WASSENAAR,NETHERLANDS, AS- SIGNOR TO U. S. SLICING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LA FORTE,INDIANA LA COB- IPORATION OF INDIANA SLICINGr-MACHINE FOR SLICING MEATOR THE LIKE Application filed. August 12, 1926, Serial N0. 128,905, andin the Netherlands May 27, 1925.

This invention relates to slicing machines having a work support or meatplate wh ch is fed toward the cutting plane of the sllcing knife by anintermittently operating feed screw, and has for one of its objects theprovision of means for overcoming the effect of backlash in said feedscrew in order to effect the production of uniform slices. I

A further object is to provide a machine of the class named'which shallbe of improved construction and operation. 7

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings and described in the followingspecification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. a

In the drawings Fig. 1 isa fragmentary top plan view of a worksupporting table showing one embodiment of the present invention appliedthereto;

Fig 2 is a vertical section substantially on line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig 3 is a section on line IIIITI of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view showing the supplemental toothednut, on an enlarged scale. 2 The numeral 1 designates the sliding worksupport or meat table of a slicing machine having a feed screw 2 forfeeding the meat support toward the slicing knife 20. The screw may beintermittently operated in any well-known and approved manner. Asegmental nut 3 is attached to. the meat plate 1 by means of an arm 18pivotally connected to the meat plate. A supplemental nut- 4 is slidablymounted in guides 7 on the lower face of the meat plate 1 and isprovided with teeth 5 which engage the rear facesv of the threads on thefeed screw 2, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4:. The ways 7 are inclinedat an oblique angle to the axis of the feed screw 2 and a spring 6 bearsagainst the inner end of the supplemental nut land exerts springpressure, holding the teeth 5 in close contact with the threads of thescrew 2. A

rod 8 is slidably mounted beneath the meat plate 1 and extendstransversely thereof and is provided with a spring 9 which holds the 1WVhe'n, the lever 10 is rotated on its pivotal.

support the rod 8 is moved transversely of the table 1 and swings thelever 12 about-its pivot 13 in a direction to retract thenut 4 anddisengage the teeth 5 thereon from the threads of the screw 2. The rod 8carries at its end adjacent the screw 2 a plate 16 which projectsupwardly beneath the pivoted arm 18 in position to engage a cam-shapedprojection 17 on the arm 18. At the same time that the rod 8 operatesthe lever 12 to retract the supplemental nut 4, the plate 16 will slidebeneath the cam lug 17 and lift the nut 3 out of engagement with theteeth of the feed screw 2. In this way a single movement of 1 the lever10 will disengage both nuts from the feed screw and free the table to bemoved by hand in either direction over its guiding support 19.

rearwardly along its guides. This backward movement will be limited bythe teeth of the feed nut 3 which will thus be held tightly against theforward or feed faces of the threads on the screw 2, as illustrated inFig. 4; Where theteeth of the screw 3 do not accurately fit the groovesbetween the threads on the screw 2 .there will be space left at thefront of the teeth which would permit slight movement of the table 1upon its support independently of rotation of the feed screw. This lostmotion due to backlash in the screw 2 is overcome by the spring-heldnutA which maintains tight contact between the feed screw and the teeth ofthe feed nut at all times irrespective of the. fact that there may be aloose fit between the engaging teeth of the nut and screw dueto wear orother causes.

. It will be apparent that theforce of the spring 6 will tend tomove themeatplate 1 It will be noted from Fig. 4 that the rear faces of theteeth on the nut 4 are beveled or rounded so that the only contactbetween the teeth of the nut and the threads of the screw is on thefront faces'of the teeth of the nut and the rear faces .of the screwthreads.

I claim 1 In a slicing machine, a slicing knife, a work support, a screwthread for moving said Work support, a nut on said work support forengaging said screw and rigidly held against movement relative to saidwork support in a direction toward the cutting plane ofsaid slicingknife, and means for exerting resilient force between said screw thread,and work supportin a direction on said. Work support away from thecutting plane of said knife for overcoming backlash insaid screw thread.

2. A slicing machine having a slicing knife, a carriage having a feedscrew mounted thereon, a worksupport mounted to slide on said carriage,a feed nut secured to said work support and fixed thereon againstmovement relative to said support in a direction parallelwithsaid feedscrew and engaging said feedserew, and means for exerting springpressure between said feed screw and work support in thedirection of theaxis of said feed screw said pressure acting on said support away fromsaid slicing knife for holding the teeth of said nut closely against thefeeding faces of the threads of said feed screw.

3. A slicing machine having a slicing knife and a work support, a feedscrew for imparting feeding movement to said work support, a nutwsecuredto said work support and rigidly held against movement relative to saidsupport toward said slicing knife and having teeth thereon engaging thethreads of said feedscrew, a supplemental nut mounted on said'worksupport and engaging the threads of said feed screw, and a spring forexerting force onrsaid supplemental nut in the direction of the axis ofsaid feed screw and acting on said support awayfrom said slicing knifeto hold the teeth ofsaid feednut in close contact with the feeding facesof the threads of said feedscrew.

4. In a slicing machine, a slicing knife, a work support, a feed screwfor moving said work support, a segmental nut mounted on said worksupport and releasably engaging said feed screw, a spring-heldsupplemental member for, engaging the threads of said feed screwandacting thereon and on said work support in a direction to hold saidfeed nut inclose engagement with the faces of 'said feed screw whichfeed said nut toward said slicing knife, and means for disenga ing saidfeed nut and supplemental member rein said feed screw to free said: worksupport from said feed screw.

5. In a slicing machine, a slicing knife, a Work support, a feed screwfor moving said said feed screw and toward said knife to hold, a

said feed nut and screw in close feeding relation to each other. a

6. In a slicing machine, a work support, a feed screw for moving saidwork support, a feed nut movably mounted on said work support forengaging the threads of said feed screw, a supplemental member havingteeth thereon for engaging the threads of said feed screw, saidsupplemental member being mounted on said work support and slidablethereon at an oblique angle to the axis of said'feed screw, a spring foryieldingly pressing said supplemental member to-, ward said feed screwto hold said feednut and screw in close feeding relation to each other,means for disengaging said feed nut from said feed screw, means forretracting said supplemental member to disengage the teeth thereon fromsaid feed screw, and a common operating device for said disengaging andretracting means. a

7. 'In a slicing machine, a work support, a knife for slicing materialheld by said work support, a feed screw for moving said'work supporttoward the cutting plane of said knife, a feed nut secured to said worksupport and fixed against movement thereon in the direction of the axisof said 'feed screw and engaging said feed screw, a supplemental devicemounted on said work support and slidable thereon along guides inclinedaway from said feed screw-and the cutting plane ofsaid knife, and aspringfor urging said supplemental member into engagement with thethreads ofsaid feed screw to. hold said work support backwardly awayfrom the cutting plane ofsaid knife to the limitof the movement thereofin a backward direction permitted by the teeth ofsaid feed screw but.fixed against movement relative to said support away from the cuttingplane of said knife, a bar slidably mounted on said work support andinclined backwardly, from the cutting plane of said knife and at anacute angle. to the axisof said feedscrew,

said bar having teeth thereon engaging the 7 rear faces of the threadsof said feed screw, a spring for urging said bar toward said feed screw,a lever for retracting said bar from said feed screw, a manuallyoperated device for moving said lever to release the teeth on said barfrom said feed screw, and means connected with said manually operateddevice for releasing said feed nut from said feed screw.

9. In a slicing machine, a slicing knife, a Work support, a screw-threadfor moving said work support, a nut on said work support for engagingsaid screw and rigidly held against movement relative to said worksupport in one direction parallel with the axis 01 said feed screw, andmeans for exerting resilient force between said screw-thread and worksupport in the direction of said feed screw opposite to the direction ofthe reaction of said rigidly held nut with respect to said feed screw.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CORNELIS FRANCISCUS MARIA van BERKEL.

